Science Plus ELA: A Natural Fit

Journal Article | August 2020

Impact of a Co-Taught Physics Course on Preservice Science Teachers’ Views of Teaching and Learning of Physics

Journal Article | July 2022

This article focuses on the impact of a physics class on secondary science teacher candidates’ views of teaching and learning physics. The course was developed and taught by faculty from the Department of Astronomy and…

Are They Talking About Climate or Weather?

Lesson Plan | July 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about climate. The probe is designed to find out whether students distinguish between weather and climate.

Ice-Cold Lemonade

Lesson Plan | June 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about transfer of energy. The probe is designed to determine whether students recognize that heat flows from warmer objects or areas to cooler ones.

Equal and Opposite

Lesson Plan | June 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about pairs of forces that fit Newton’s third law. The probe is specifically designed to reveal whether students can identify third law force pairs as…

Chicken Eggs

Lesson Plan | June 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about food, transformation of matter, growth and development, conservation of mass, and systems. The concepts underlying this probe are complex. It is…

Renewable or Nonrenewable?

Lesson Plan | July 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about Earth’s natural resources. The probe is designed to find out if students can distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable natural resources.

Focusing the Lens of the Crosscutting Concepts on Secondary Science Learning

Journal Article | March 2022

Developing the Next Generation of Elementary Science Teachers

Journal Article | October 2019

This article describes how science educators at a large southeastern university developed specialized science training for elementary preservice teachers (EPSTs) by creating a combination of discipline-specific science…

Needs of Seeds

Lesson Plan | June 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about seeds. The probe is designed to find out what students think most seeds need to germinate.

Is It a Rock? (Version 2)

Lesson Plan | December 2022

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about an Earth material, rocks. The probe is designed to determine whether students can distinguish between humanmade, “rocklike” materials and…

Ecosystem Cycles

Lesson Plan | June 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the transfer of matter and energy in ecosystems. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that only matter is cycled through an…

Apple in a Plane

Lesson Plan | June 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about force related to the interaction between inanimate objects. The probe is designed to determine which forces students think act on an object at rest…

Mass, Volume, and Density

Lesson Plan | June 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about density. The probe is designed to find out whether students have commonly held ideas about mass, volume, shape, and other properties that interfere…

Will It Form a New Substance?

Lesson Plan | June 2021

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about chemical change. The probe is designed to find out how students determine whether a new substance with a different chemical makeup is formed when…